1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a storage container and, in particular, to a storage container for a video cassette. Even more particularly, the invention relates to a video cassette storage container formed as a one-piece member of polypropylene, having a smooth outer contour and configured sidewalls and hinge area to provide an extremely aesthetically pleasing and efficient storage container, having square feet on one end thereof for endwise standing of the video storage container, having a recessed front for easy opening which is also scalloped inward to hold tapes, and having guide rails on an inner surface thereof in addition to the scallops which together automatically centers the video cassette and its associated literature into the storage container during manual insertion of a cassette therein.
2. Background Information
Numerous containers for various articles, including video cassette tapes, have been developed, usually of plastic materials, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,291,801, 4,363,403, 4,365,711, 4,407,410, 4,635,797, and 4,784,264. Although these prior art storage containers are satisfactory for their intended purposes, many are made of various types of plastics, such as crystal polystyrene, which is brttle and subject to breakage, and when molded will have a square appearance with straight edges terminating in sharp corners and edges. It has been found that these straight edges terminating in sharp corners and edges promote breakage of the storage containers when dropped.
Many of the prior art storage containers also include a closure mechanism that occupies space within the storage compartment thereby increasing the overall size of the container. In many of today""s entertainment centers and other video storage areas, space is an important constraint, particularly based upon the large video libraries many homes have today. Therefore, many of these containers needlessly occupy more space than necessary.
Likewise, the hinge assembly of many prior art containers requires that the containers be closed in a single fashion often requiring precise and meticulous alignment of the video cassette within the video storage container. Often this single fashion closing is not readily accomplished by small children who increasingly use these storage containers for storing family entertainment video cassettes. Further, the video cassettes and associated literature must be accurately and carefully centered in these prior art storage containers or else it is often difficult if not impossible to close the container.
Likewise, many of the prior art storage containers are difficult to open by children, since their small hands are unable to grip the entire outer cover and base for pulling the container apart in order to gain access to the video cassette stored therein.
In addition, some of the video storage containers do not include at least one square surface for standing of the videos as is often desirable during storage. Alternatively, some of the containers that do contain an edge sufficient for standing the video storage container are often very sharp edges or corners which as indicated above are undesirable. Furthermore, these edges that are sufficient for standing often increase substantially the overall size of the container.
Thus, the need exists for an improved video cassette storage container which can be formed as a one-piece member of a light weight, break-resistant plastic such as polypropylene, which provides an attractive appearance and is easily used by small children for storing video cassettes, which has rounded sides with radiused edges, and a rounded spine formed by the hinge assembly to provide an attractive appearance and which includes a square base for endwise standing where the square base has radiused edges, and which includes a recessed front which provides easy opening even for small children and which includes a scalloped or otherwise arcuate interior to help hold the tape within the video storage container, and which provides ribs on the hinge panel for automatic centering of the tape during closure where the ribs act in unison with the scallop to function as guides to center the video cassette and associated literature in the storage container.
Objectives of the invention include providing an improved video cassette storage container formed as a one-piece member of plastic with the sides thereof having radiused rounded edges, and a rounded spine formed by a double living hinge panel assembly to provide an attractive and compact storage container.
A further objective of the invention is to provide such a storage container in which the latch mechanism that maintains the storage container in a closed position is achieved by a small pair of nubs formed on one of the half-wall members which seat into a complementary-shaped pair of recesses formed in an opposite half-wall member of the container.
A still further objective of the invention is to provide such a storage container in which central portions of the front wall of the base and lid are slightly recessed to provide larger overhang areas on the base and lid which can be easily grasped by a child to open the storage container without affecting the size of the container and its attractive appearance.
A still even further objective of the invention is to provide a recessed front in which central portions of the front wall of the base and lid are recessed so as to extend within the interior of the video cassette storage container in a scalloped fashion thereby providing a surface that helps to align the video cassette when inserted within the storage container.
Another objective of the invention is to provide such a storage container having a unique end wall configuration at the ends of a concavely curved hinge panel which enables the base and lid to be moved into a closed position irrespective of the manner of movement of the base, lid or hinge assembly.
Another objective of the invention is to provide such a storage container in which a plurality of positioning ribs and guide members are formed integrally on the inside surfaces of either the base or lid walls and main panel thereof to define an area for receiving the video cassette, irrespective of its manner of placement between the positioning ribs, and which will prevent the cassette from moving or rattling within the storage compartment formed by the container when in its closed position.
A still further objective of the invention is to provide such a storage container in which the front and end walls of the base and lid are equal in height, with one of the closure members having a stepped shoulder and an extending recessed wall portion for aligning with the edges of the end and front walls of the corresponding container member when in the closed position.
A further objective of the invention is to provide such a storage container in which the front corners of the base and lid are rounded and align with each other when in the closed position to provide an attractive streamlined appearance, individually and in combination with the rounded spine provided by the double hinge panel assembly.
Another objective of the invention is to provide such a storage container which automatically guides and centers the video cassette and literature in the storage container when the video cassette and literature are loaded therein.
A still further objective of the invention is to provide such a storage container in which a plurality of ribs and guides are formed on the inner surface of one of the base or lid to facilitate the automatic guiding and centering of the video cassette and literature in the storage container.
These objectives and advantages are obtained by the improved video cassette storage container of the present invention, the general nature of which may be stated as including a base and a lid each having a bottom wall, a pair of spaced end walls and a front wall, a lid hingedly mounted on the base and movable between open and closed positions on the base, the base and lid forming a storage chamber therebetween when in the closed position, and guide means formed on certain of the walls of the lid and extending into the storage chamber for guiding the article into the storage chamber.